Metal News for May 9, 2011

We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.

36 news articles posted on this day.

A new addition to the U.S. black metal scene, Michigan's Winterus has just dropped it's debut through Lifeforce Records, a monument to frozen despair titled "In Carbon Mysticism." Winterus vocalist Christopher Neu recently corresponded with Metalunderground.com about the new release to explain the band's place in the black metal world and the album's strict anti-Christian lyrical stance.

"There is nothing wrong with acting 'Christ-like' but there is a lot wrong with Christianity. Thankfully it is coming to an end and I hope to help and support this in every possible way," stated Neu. He also goes onto discuss recording a music video on a snowy night with no recording budget and even to talk digital zombie slaying and car theft on the Xbox. More...

Betrayal has posted the song "Low Expectations" online, which is off the band's new album "Abandonment." You can check out the song below, or find the band's recently posted music video for "Without A Doubt" at this location.

Norway's Shraphead will be releasing theband's debut album "Blind & Seduced" on June 28th via Metalville Records. The album was recorded in Hamar with Christian Liljan and Fredrik Ryberg and mixed and mastered by Daniel Bergstrand in Uppsala. The cover artwork can be viewed below.

A press release from the band states that the title's inspiration comes from society and "how you as a child are exposed to such an indoctrination of false information about life and death." The album has 13 tracks, including a ballad and an instrumental.

Nightwish is currently in the middle of the recording process for the band's upcoming album "Imaginarium," which will be released in early 2012. You can watch the band in the studio in the video clip below.

Glorior Belli has inked a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records in anticipation of the band's upcoming album "The Great Southern Darkness," which is due to be released in the fall of this year. A teaser for the album can be viewed here.

The band commented on the record deal: "We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with the folks of Metal Blade Records, who put out some of the best Metal in the past decades, and it's only fair given the efforts and determination of Glorior Belli into making genuine music that stands the test of time."

Metal Blade records also commented on the band:

"Glorior Belli swamped out from the temperamental suburbs of Paris in December 2002. What started as a notorious duo soon became a remarkable beast, acting as a beacon for everyone looking to free themselves of the influence of the Demiurge. More...

Creation's End has just announced the band's inclusion in the Uniting The Powers Of Metal 2011 East Coast Tour, as well as a special New York City performance with Suspyre.

First, on June 30th, Creation's End will scorch home town fans at a headlining show at the Sullivan Lounge in Manhattan, with support from New Jersey progressive metallers Suspyre and more bands to be announced shortly. This will be the band's sophomore live appearance, following the act's NYC debut show back in early December. The upcoming shows are as follows:

Norwegian black metal act Vreid will embark upon a North American headlining trek this August. Sponsored by MetalSucks and Metal Injection, The Black Path Of America Tour 2011 will commence on August 25th in Toronto and trample through 14 cities before coming to a ceremonious close on September 10th in San Diego. Vreid will be joined by pagan black metal co-headliners Kampfar and Canadian death metal ensemble Necronomicon.

Commented Vreid bassist, Hváll: “It is with great joy we can announce our first headlining tour in North America. The Black Path Of America tour is packed with ten US and six Canadian shows. We did our first full North America tour in 2009 on the Heathen Fest, and the reaction we got was overwhelming. We had amazing shows in Montreal, Cleveland and San Francisco — to name just a few — and are glad to see all those cities plus many more on the list for our upcoming tour. Our latest album, V, is doing fantastic, and has become a monumental release for us. We can’t wait to return to the Wild West to unleash songs new and old with our own production. Joining us on this tour are our good Norwegian friends of the legendary Kampfar and Necronomicon from Canada. It’s a killer lineup, and we hope to see as many of you as possible at the shows.”

Vancouver metal act Trollband has announced through its official Facebook page that it will be giving away the band's entire new full-length album for free. The debut full-length, titled "In the Shadow of a Mountain," was self-released by the duo of Sam Levitt and Matt Courtemanche in late April and can be downloaded by following the link at this location. You can view the album's track listing below.

1. Fire and Ash2. Nidhoggr3. Heathen Blood4. In the Shadow of a Mountain5. Warhellride6. Regicide7. The return8. We live

Trollband's Sam Levitt commented on the band's decision to give away the album by saying:

"Due to the popularity of this album on blogs and torrent sites we just decided to give 'In the Shadow of a Mountain' away FREE OF CHARGE. We will print the album for physical copies at a later date but with giving away the album as a free download we hope that whoever downloads it from us will listen to it, enjoy it, and pass it on to others who may in tern listen to and enjoy it."

Revocation has announced the band's new album will be titled "Chaos of Forms," and the album is currently set for release on August 16th, 2011 through Relapse Records. In anticipation of the new release, Revocation has posted a song from the album online, titled "Cradle Robber."

Metal Assault has posted a video interview online with Lenzig Leal and Brian Hopp from Cephalic Carnage, which was conducted at the Glass House in Pomona, CA on May 5th, 2011. The clip can be viewed below.

Megadeth has issued the following announcement about beginning the recording process for the band's new album:

"The recording process for Megadeth's new album is now underway, with producer Johnny Karkazis (Machine Head, Sevendust, Staind, Disturbed) and is slated for a fall 2011 release via Roadrunner Records.

"The drum tracking for the album is scheduled to begin this week, with the entire recording process expected to be completed by the time Megadeth hits the road this summer as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with Disturbed and Godsmack. Follow Dave Mustaine on Twitter and Facebook for daily studio updates!"

Additional details on the follow-up to "Endgame" will be announced as they are made available. You can also check out a trailer for the upcoming New York show with "The Big 4" of thrash metal at this location.

New York power metal act Gothic Knights has announced the band's upcoming album will be titled "Reflections from the Other Side." You can now check out several samples from album that have been posted online on the Gothic Knights' Reverb Nation page here.

Additional details on the track listing and release date will be announced as they are made available. In the mean time, you can check out a previous update from the band about the album by clicking here, or find more information on the band at the official Gothic Knights web page.

Metal Injection has premiered a new track from Norwegian black metal act Enslaved. The track, "Heimvegen" comes off the band's upcoming "The Sleeping Gods" EP, which will be released for free via Scion A/V in the near future. You can check out the song here.

"The Sleeping Gods," which is the follow-up to 2010's "Axioma Ethica Odini" (reviewed here), was recorded in Solslottet Studio in Bergen, and partly in the band's own home studio. The release comes as Scion A/V - a lifestyle division of the Scion car manufacturer - expands its brand, launching a metal label and promoting underground shows featuring heavy bands like Trap Them and Black Breath.

"It's exciting to be collaborating with Enslaved on this release," Scion sales promotion manager Jeri Yoshizu said. "We feel the pairing is vital as we aim for the label's approach to embody the same sense of forward thinking as the band's music."

Noisecreep.com is hosting a stream of the Gamma Ray anthem "Brothers," along with an interview with band front man Kai Hansen. You can check out the song here.

While not a new track from the band, "Brothers" is the second track from the band's upcoming release, "Skeletons & Majesties," which is a collection of older and rare Gamma Ray songs being re-released as part of this special fan-based promotion for the band, including a full-on karaoke contest where fans can enter to actually appear on the next Gamma Ray album. Check out the details for the contest and more at this location.

"Skeletons & Majesties" is set for release in North America via Armoury Records/Eagle Rock on May 31st.

Stay tuned for much more updates on Gamma Ray over the coming months as the band prepares for the upcoming Summer tour, where the group will be filming in HD for a brand new live DVD/CD to be released later in the year.

Nightfall has issued the following announcement about playing the upcoming Sonisphere who in Athens:

"Nightfall is proud to announce that we will be performing on the main stage of the Sonisphere Festival in Athens on June 17th! The festival will be headlined by Iron Maiden, with Slipknot appearing as special guests! This is sure to be a historic and special event so be sure you get your ticket and come out to the show!"

You can also check out the band's recent announcement about recruiting new members here.

Vancouver metal act Quartered has announced that it has been nominated in the "Best Metal Band" category at this year's first annual Urban Culture Conference. The new awards event has categories based in music, blogs, arts, sports, food, beer, radio and nightlife (amongst many others) which all spotlight distinct Vancouver talent.

You can find the entire list of "Best Metal Band" nominees below and you can also cast your vote, for every category, at this location.

"Hey! At the moment, we're working hard to prepare the release shows in Belgium. We'll play old and especially new songs and you can expect some nice surprises for those shows.

"The album will be available starting from May 20th at our listening party in our hometown Wervik @ De Bierpompe. All Thurisaz-members will be there to serve you some nice cold beers and spin the turntables. All the songs of the new album will be played for the first time, combined with some old-school material. There you will also have the opportunity to purchase our new T-shirts and some old merchandise at reduced prices.

"We have the honour to play at the CD-presentation of March Funèbre on june 1st in Mechelen @ JH Metteko. Our friends of Oceans Of Sadness call it quits and asked us to support at their farewell show in Dessel on June 10th and we'll try to give them one hell of a party!

"That's not the only farewell show we'll support: on October 15th we will play at the only (!) farewell show in Belgium of God Dethroned. Place to be: Fenix in Ieper. We've signed a deal with Unseen Underground, who will be our exclusive Publicity Partner and Tour Manager in Asia Pacific! All pre-orders are sold-out but from may 20th you can order the new (and old) merch again from our website." More...

Netherbird has checked in with the following update about offering the "Monument Black Colossal" album as a free download:

"Greetings, our latest album, 'Monument Black Colossal,' is now available for free and legal download in mp3 (320kbps). Feel free to download and share this piece of darkness! The download link is here. The album is still also available on CD, on iTunes, Spotify and other digital sources."

You can also check out a Netherbird fan tribute video recently posted online at this location.

Vocalist Sandra Schleret of Elis has issued the following announcement about parting ways with the band:

"More than 4 years ago I joined Elis as their new singer. Our journey was very special to me, and I think that we found one another at a time when we really needed it the most. I gave my best to honor Sabine's legacy and nevertheless stay true to myself and open a new chapter together with the band. I am sorry to say that we have reached a point where this chapter now comes to an end. We had an amazing and exciting time and the guys really touched my heart. We made a great album in which I've put all of my heart and which means a lot to me. We sat together and talked long about everything, and we concluded that it is better to go separate ways from now on.

"I simply feel the need to devote myself to my own music, my aims and tasks, and the guys can not accompany me on that way because they have their own aims, ideas and expectations. I am sure that it's the right decision, because it is very important to me to dedicate myself to everything I do with full heart and soul. Now that I can not ensure this anymore I think it's only fair to say it freely. Elis will always have my full support and my friendship will guide them on their way. The guys have found a great new singer and so I am leaving with a good feeling, though I am very sad about the end of our time together.

"I dearly want to thank all the Elis fans, who gave me such a warm welcome! I hope we will see each other again! With all my best wishes, Sandra."

Warocracy has issued the following announcement about the band gearing up to enter the recording studio with guest musician Steve Tucker:

"Hello Metalheads! We’ll start recording sessions on 16th May. Right now, the track list: Black Waves Of Styx, War Of The Mortals, Unexpected End, Ethereal Sun Combustion, Departure To Abomination, and Be Flesh.

"We are proud to announce a great collaboration on our first full-length. We’ll have a very special guest on vocals on CD. He is come back on Extreme World Wide metal scene with a new death metal project Nader Sadek. Out now In The Flesh for Greyhaze Records/Season of Mist.

"He is present on three albums of legendary Morbid Angel: Formulas Fatal to The Flesh, Gateways to Annihilation and Heretic. His name is Steve Tucker!"

You can find more information on the band and listen to sample tracks by heading over to Warocracy's Facebook page.

Art of Dying has issued the following announcement about offering a free acoustic song for download through the band's Facebook page:

"As a way of celebrating the end of the Avalanche Tour, Art Of Dying is giving away a special free acoustic download of 'Die Trying'! Just head over to this location and click on the 'Free Song' tab to get the download! You must be a fan of the Facebook page, so if you aren't, make sure to become one to get the track!"

You can also check out a recent talk with guitarist Greg Bradley discussing the band's history here, or find the band's latest video update from the Avalanche tour at this location.

After the break up of Windir, Vreid became the incarnation of some of the former members. With a new album recieving rave reviews, Vreid has certainly come into its own. Despite the constant touring, I had a quick talk with bassist Hvall about the new album "V," an upcoming U.S. tour, and who he would like to tour with. More...

Powerwolf has announced the band's new album will be titled "Blood of the Saints," and the opus is set for release on July 29th, 2011. The cover artwork can now be viewed below, which has once again been created by Matthew Greywolf.

Powerwolf will also be joining the "Power of Metal" tour alongside Sabaton. Details are available at this location.

Deivos has posted the "Demiurge of the Void" artwork online, which can be viewed below. The band also commented on the album:

"The time has come to lift the veil of secrecy about the new album. Below we present the cover and the track list of the new CD, which will be entitled 'Demiurge of the Void' and released by Unique Leader Records, in autumn this year. The album cover was once again designed by Andrzej 'Lenu' Lenczuk from the Tattoo Alien Studio, who we had the pleasure to work with on the last two albums. We will announce the exact premiere date of 'Demiurge of the Void' soon and make a new track available to listen to so keep your eyes and ears open!"

The track listing is as follows:

1. No Gods Before Me2. Code of a Dead Deity3. Absolut of Hatred4. Born to Loathe5. Extreme Unction6. And the Word Became Flesh7. Demiurge of the Void8. Panacea

A teaser trailer has been posted online for the upcoming Neckbreaker's Ball tour, which can be viewed below. The tour will feature Dark Tranquillity, Eluvietie, Varg, Mercenary, Death Angel, and Omnium Gatherum.

A listing of dates and an update from Dark Tranquillity about the tour can be found at this location.

Greece's Suicidal Angels has issued the following statement about summer festival season:

"After a month's break from live shows, rehearsing old and new songs in Athens, the time came to depart once again, opening our summer festival season with Metal Bash Open Air! A small (still), yet promising festival just outside Hamburg.

"Arriving at the airport, we realized that we were in for one great weekend when we saw a Lincoln limo pulling up to us. The owner of this fascinating vehicle, Ingo, took us to the festival grounds where we received the german hospitality for one more time. Flawless down to the last detail, and a warm friendly feeling all over the place, coming both from fans and promoters, showing the love and appreciation for the bands and the music in general.

"So, a day of total metal holocaust that we won't forget. We want to extend our gratitude to Petra and Remedy Records for everything she did for us, and Ingo as well, for treating us like good friends, all the Bashers for staying until 00.30 and enjoyed our show by singing their lungs out, moshing and headbanging to the last note! We hope to see you soon.

"With the festival season open, we want to remind you that we'll be seeing all of you in this year's MetalFests, starting with Oesterreich, May 27th! Don't forget to check our headline shows as well in Deutschland, Holland and Belgium!

"See you around then in a few weeks. Take care and keep on thrashing"

You can also find a list of the band's upcoming appearances at this location.

What more defines a culture than its customs and the influences of the indigenous people that combine to form a sense of nationality? That's the majestic quality of pagan folk metal, that it brings out those qualities of a nation and heritage steeped in tradition. The countries of South America are rich in overtones from the pre-colombian civilizations that existed up until the 16th century. Largely vanquished by Pizarro, other tribes and pandemics such as small pox, the descendents of these native empires remain to this day - continuing their traditions. Pre-hispanic folk metal permeates nearly every country from Mexico to Chile, especially gaining momentum in the upper Andes region nowadays.

Half of the 13 countries in South America are straddled by the immense cordillera of the Andes mountains, an imposing natural fortification that thwarted the Spaniards looking to pillage. While eventually nine countries were colonized by Spain and adopted Spanish as the official language and culture, the ancient ways remained firmly entrenched. South America's burgeoning pre-hispanic folk metal scene can be attributed to a people yearning for self-discovery of their origins and also as a means of superceding the oppression. Rock/metal has always been a viaduct of freedom of expression, something not always possible in that part of the world. Take Peru, for example. Their country was very permissive of cultural and musical liberties in the sixties. Rock bands and surf music were all the rage. Then the coup'd'etat of 1968 ended all that for the better part of two decades. Their neighbors Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia got just as raw of a deal in the political realm. Rock had been viewed as an alienating factor by various governments and it has taken a while for the memories of the supression by right-wing dictatorships and left-wing juntas to subside in the psyche of the masses.

Building back up since the nineties, the scene has been truly vibrant in many of these South American nations. The lands are awash with dozens of thrash, progressive, death and other variations of metal bands - and many rival some of the best American and European bands in terms of sound and originality. Latinos are quite spirited and put a lot of heart into what they do. They don't take things for granted like some of the more jaded listeners of larger nations. Recently in Paraguay, thousands of people protested and picketed on the streets to get Iron Maiden to add a tour date in Asuncion. Would we do that here? No, because we don't have to fight to have a scene.

South American bands have been fine-tuning themselves for years to intricate and professional stylings of the sub-genres. With that, it should come as no surprise that the pagan metal scene has been thriving in the Andean countries. Dubbed "Ancestral Metal," the traditional folkloric take of black (and other) metal is infused with richly synchronized instrumentation from the Incan and other pre-colombian cultures. There are many bands delving into this style, and you can check out a good cross-section of them in these two nice anthologies Metal Nativo Americano Pts. 1-2. Bands take various different approaches to this infusion of native influences with metal. Some are doom, like Kranium of Peru, or progressive symphonic metal like their countrymen Yawarhiem, while others take a folk-rock approach that has metamorphosized during the years like Ecuador's legendary Aztra or an industrial sound like Bolivia's Alcoholika Lo Christo.

What unifies most of these bands is using themes that date back to cultures that have their inceptions over 10,000 (according to many anthropologists) years ago. They integrate the sounds of instruments from their ancestors, such as the traditional "quena" flute, the "zampoña" - a flute with five or six pan-pipe sound holes, or the "charango" - a guitar made either from wood or the back of an armadillo. Even the "quejada" is utilized, which is a percussion instrument made from the jawbone of a horse or donkey. Combine these pre-hispanic notes of the Andes with traditional or death metal, and a sound is derived that is quintessential South American folkloric metal. The native appeal interwoven with metal creates a sound that is as stark and lush as the majestic mountains and rugged valleys that form the backdrop of the countries. The best known song based upon Incan music will probably always be "El Condor Pasa" by the Peruvian Daniel Alomia Robles (covered by Simon and Garfunkel), but now metal bands are doing their own adaptations. Today we will transpose you into that setting by looking at a few bands from the South American highlands and their outlying regions. More...

Massachusetts metalcore act Unearth has revealed details behind its forthcoming studio album. The new full length, titled "Darkness In The Light," will hit European store shelves on June 4, 2011 through Metal Blade Records. You can view the album's tracklisting below.

1. Watch It Burn2. Ruination Of The Lost3. Shadows Of The Light4. Eyes Of Black5. Last Wish6. Arise The War Cry7. Equinox8. Coming Of The Dark9. The Fallen10. Overcome11. Disillusion